Flies & Pet Food.

spike7451

With this extremely hot weather we've been having,we've been literally over- run with flies! I've gone thru a couple tins of fly spray already & they still keep coming!
Not to mention,any wet food left out for Daisy starts to smell quite quickly.
A couple of time's I've gone into the kitchen to see a fly on her food,question is,after the fly's been on it,would it be safe to leave out for a bit longer or bin it straight away?
(I'm worried that it'll have laid maggot eggs on the food which will hatch inside Daisy after she's eaten it or at the least,give her a dodgy tum)

Vedder2008

I use those round plastic lids that you place on the dish and press and the air is sucked out like a vacuum, I bought mine from Lakeland last year and I've had no problems with flies this year so far.
I have had flies buzzing around the wildlife that the cat has caught, half eaten and left, and it's always near the back door, in fact I have just come in from hosing down.

elsien

I'd say lift the food if it's not being eaten, and put it back down later when Daisy seems hungry enough to eat it.

delain

Cats and dogs (more so cats I suppose, dogs tend to have someone with them) eat all sorts of disgusting things and I don't think the pet food would upset their tums, they are made for that diet after all!

My tail-less wonder has been seen dragging all sorts of maggot ridden things around _pale_ and hasn't been ill that I've seen.

I've taken to feeding my cats in the garden in the daytime and only leaving biscuits out overnight.

That said, the fly (and ant) population seems to have had a serious explosion this year

Kimberley

If the food is not eaten within 15-20 mins then pick it up, cover and place in the fridge until your pets next feeding time. Don't leave it for more then 20 minutes. My pets have raw food and if it is not eaten within 15 mins then it goes in the fridge.

tanith

I have a metal dish that fits right over the cat bowl, and as soon as she walks away from the bowl I cover it... she won't eat it if its been in the fridge till it gets back up to room temp... after a couple of hours I throw it away if its not eaten... must say I have never had so many flies around as this year...
Be careful with spraying fly spray near the animals food

cyberbob

You should never leave wetfood down for more than 20 or 30 minutes no matter what the weather is.

sarabe

My cats and dogs have mealtimes, the same as us.

Food is eaten when it is served and dishes removed and washed up.

It only takes a few days to change eating habits by removing bowls as soon as they walk away and not giving it again until the next mealtime.

As an added bonus my cats have as good a recall as the dogs!! :cool:

mary-op

Our two cats normally know when its feeding time but these last few weeks with flies rampant I've put their food in plastic dished with lids........if they don't fancy it at their normal time they soon let me know when they do and I can take the lids off.
Flies are a blessed nuisance:mad:

paddypaws101

I fed solely dry food for years so never had this problem....
Nowadays I feed a mix of wet and raw so do have to pay more attention. I HATE flies, with a vengeance, but I do think that a healthy cat will not have any problem with wet food even if left down for a good while, they have very strong stomach acid to deal with these issues. My cats sometimes prefer the crusty older stuff!!
Glad I am not the only one suffering a plague of flies this summer though. I bought a trap

http://www.redtopflycatcher.co.uk/

which I have to say is fantastic....disgusting, but fantastic. Several hundred dead flies in my garden currently!

paulwf

paddypaws101 wrote: »

I fed solely dry food for years so never had this problem....

Flies seem to show absolutely no interest in our dried food...perhaps just try and leave biscuits down during the day?